Vitor Pereira’s sacking as Wolves boss doesn’t come as a huge surprise. They sit rock bottom of the Premier League and are winless across their opening 10 league games.

Wolves have conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League (22) and have lost eight of their 10 matches. There may be a feeling from the board to prepare for relegation and factor that into their appointment.

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Next Wolves Manager Odds

Who Will be the Next Wolves Manager?

Gary O'Neil

Gary O’Neil is firmly in the frame to return to Wolves as manager after his dismissal for Vitor Pereira halfway through last season. I thought that sacking was harsh, as was O’Neil’s dismissal from Bournemouth, but the former Wolves boss would be eager to return to the club as he’s mentioned multiple times.

In my view, Wolves will either pick their next manager with one eye on the Championship next season or go with a bold choice in an aim to rectify their poor early season form. Of the more sensible choices, O’Neil makes the most sense for the club.

Michael Carrick and Rob Edwards have been linked with the job as well, but O’Neil seems more likely to me than those options, with Carrick having no experience in the Premier League and Edwards currently in charge of Middlesbrough, who are 2nd in the Championship - Middlesbrough would also require compensation to release him from his role.

🔮 Ramis' Verdict

O’Neil was a popular figure at Molineux and led Wolves to a 14th-place finish in the 23/24 season - 20 points clear of the drop zone. This will be a tougher challenge this time around with the increased strength of the newly promoted sides, but O’Neil is certainly one of the ideal candidates to take on this challenge. 

Wolves may not be able to convince many other managers to take this role with the precarious position that Wolves find themselves in the Premier League, and Wolves’ recent record when it comes to sacking managers, with none of the last four bosses lasting more than one season.

Vitor Bruno

Wolves’ relationship with Portuguese players and managers is well documented. Three of the last five Wolves managers have been from Portugal and Vitor Bruno could be an outside shout to be the latest in that succession.

Wolves have already been linked with Rui Borges who is the current Sporting manager but he has ruled himself out of a mid-season move quite categorically. This makes Vitor Bruno a very interesting option in the market, Vitor Pereira was priced similarly before it became obvious that he would become Wolves boss, and I wouldn’t put it past the hierarchy to go with an outside choice again.

The last five managers for Wolves show that they don’t really have any coherent idea of what the squad should look like and have been reactive with their appointments:

Vitor Pereria (December 2024 - November 2025)

Gary O’Neil (August 2023 - December 2024) 

Julen Lopetegui (November 2022 - August 2023)

Bruno Lage (June 2021 - October 2022)

Nuno Espírito Santo (May 2017 - June 2021)

🔮 Ramis' Verdict

This is a volatile position which may put some of Wolves’ prospective candidates off the move. It also gives us a pretty clear picture of how Wolves have ended up in this situation, with not many managers chomping at the bit to take on a relegation scrap.

Vitor Bruno can be a solid outside option with Wolves’ Portuguese connections, and he may also appear as an option that Wolves have to turn to with the difficult position they find themselves in to attract top managers. He was the caretaker coach of Porto last year after Sergio Conceicao left the club, maintaining a 62% win percentage, which may be enough to convince Wolves to give another fringe option an opportunity at the helm.

Who is the favourite in the betting to be the next Wolves manager?

Gary O’Neil currently leads the market to be the next Wolves manager and is priced at 1.67 (4/6) to be back in the dugout at Molineux, almost a year after he was sacked from the role.

Rob Edwards and Michael Carrick have also been linked with the job, but these would be big risks for where Wolves find themselves in the Premier League. They would also have to pay compensation for Edwards if they wanted to take him from Middlesbrough.

Why did Vitor Pereira leave Wolves?

Vitor Pereira was sacked following a disastrous start to the season, which saw Wolves lose eight of their 10 Premier League matches, failing to win any of those games. Wolves have conceded the most goals of any side in the Premier League (22) and generally look like a very disorganised side, which is crying out for some identity.

What was Wolves' Club Statement?

Vitor Pereira is yet to give a public statement about his sacking, but Wolves’ statement from Jeff Shi reads:

“Vitor and his team worked tirelessly for Wolves and helped guide us through a challenging period last season, for which we are grateful.

Unfortunately, the start to this season has been a disappointment, and despite our strong desire to give the head coach time and matches to find an improvement, we have reached a point where we must make a change.

We thank Vitor and his staff for their efforts and wish them the very best for the future.”

This statement pretty much confirms that the Wolves board always saw Pereira as a short term option for the managerial position.

What do Wolves fans think of Vitor Pereira leaving?

Wolves fans formed a special connection with Pereira in the second half of last season as he guided the side away from the drop zone, and immersed himself in Midlands culture - popping into local bars and pubs in the area to increase his bond with the fans.

This counts for something, but fans ultimately grew tired of his strange choices when it comes to picking the starting XI and a negative play style, which didn't bring much entertainment to Molineux. His side were booed off the park multiple times in the weeks leading up to his dismissal. 

There is also frustration with the board. Wolves lack any real identity, which is a result of years of failure in the transfer window. Wolves, like a handful of Premier League clubs, have grown too comfortable in thinking that the newly promoted sides won’t put up a fight, and they could pay the price for that assumption this season.

Next Wolves Manager Rumours

There are a range of options available to Wolves in the manager market, with the leading candidate emerging as former boss Gary O’Neil, who was dismissed just last season after a poor start to the campaign.

Rob Edwards and Michael Carrick have been linked with an upgrade from their Championship roles to the Premier League, though I see this avenue as less likely, with instant results needed.

Whoever is chosen as the new Wolves manager, it’s unlikely that they will be in the role very long.

Who do Wolves fans want to be the new manager?

Wolves fans aren’t exactly crying out for one name to be the new coach, with much of the anger aimed towards the board, who have overseen some really panicked and dodgy recruitment, which has left Wolves in their current predicament.

The most interesting name I've seen put forward for the Wolves job is Robbie Keane, who is currently the head coach of Ferencvaros in Hungary and has previously managed in two other countries outside of Europe. It’s thought that Keane is not a frontrunner, but this could be one to keep an eye on. 

Wolves fans may not particularly desire a specific coach because of the lack of time given to the manager to build a connection with the supporters.

How have Wolves been doing this season?

Wolves have been the worst team in the Premier League this season, by quite a distance. They’re the only side in the top-flight without a win from their opening 10 matches, having lost eight of those games.

They’ve also conceded the most goals of any side in the division (22), which is a real cause for concern. Wolves were forced to sack Pereira due to the improved levels of performance we’ve seen from the promoted clubs this season, which has put some of the established sides in the Premier League in real jeopardy this term. 

Are Wolves bottom of the league?

Yes, Wolves sit rock bottom of the Premier League. They’ve lost eight of their 10 matches in the top-flight, conceding 22 goals in the process.

Wolves are already eight points from safety.

What are Wolves next fixtures?

The fixtures don’t get any easier for Wolves with a trip to Chelsea coming up at the weekend, followed by clashes against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.

This is a really hectic period of the season, and Wolves will have to manage it carefully, seeing as they are already eight points from safety. It’s likely that they’ll look to target specific matches against teams around them to make it through this difficult spell without being completely cut off from the rest of the pack.

Are Wolves going to get relegated?

Wolves are now odds-on to be relegated from the Premier League this season, with an eight-point gap between them and safety. None of the three promoted sides currently sit in the bottom three, which increases the chances of Wolves facing the drop.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *

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